No, not me. Hollywood hasn’t recognized my potential yet. However, somebody else did! I got an award from I Shall Lose for my blog and for being beautiful (or as Barney Stinson would say, AWESOME). This is my first award, and I’ll be honest: I didn’t know you could get blog awards. But hey, it’s a great feeling to know that people are reading what I write. It shows that I’m making a small difference in somebody’s life. Maybe it’s changing the way they see themselves, maybe it’s motivating and inspiring them, or maybe it’s as simple as putting a smile on their face. Either way, I’m thankful for you, my readers, because you motivate me to do better. You motivate me to run that extra mile (or two), you motivate me to come up with new recipes, you motivate me to not fall into a slump. THANK YOU.

THE AWARDS

For getting these awards, I’m supposed to:

1. Thank and link to the person that presented me the award.
2. Pass this award on to 15 fantastic bloggers.
3. Contact said bloggers and let them know they’ve won.
4. State 7 things about myself.

FIFTEEN SUPER RAD BLOGGERS that you should follow and stalk:

1. John has a scroll saw and is training for a half marathon. He also plays badminton and poker.
2. Craig is a runner in training who just started the C25K. He’s also a fantastic writer.
3. Kimmi is aiming to be a master hula hooper. She also made my chicken with broccoli recipe!
4. Chad is reconstructing his life at 30 and doing amazingly.
5. Brandon is the original weekend warrior!
6. Meg is working hard to achieve her first mini-goal and she’s almost there!
7. Josie did the plank! She gets to see Dave Matthews Band soon. I’m jealous.
8. Jeremy is a Power Ranger who’s also writing about a guy living in Antarctica.
9. Erin makes Wookie Cookies! What more do you need?!
10. Michelle is working hard at living healthier, and she’s doing a great job at it.
11. Ellen is always there to send me some encouragement.
12. Dana has a hot trainer who’s going to reveal himself bit by bit with every pound she loses.
13. Seth is intense! His home workout kicked my butt and he’s doing my planks on one foot.
14. Lauren brought to my attention how crappy our school cafeteria programs are.
15. Ro is getting fit, and she’s really close to goal!

SEVEN THINGS ABOUT ME:

1. I hitchhiked for more than 1,000 miles in Thailand and Laos. It was a phenomenal experience, and I truly believe in the goodness of people. Sam and her mom picked me up when I was trying to get from Buriram to Ubon (Thailand). They took me to her mom’s hair salon. She also showed me her high school and took me karaoke-ing, but I couldn’t read Thai.

2. I have seen two whale sharks on two separate dives. It was amazing. I took the picture with an underwater camera.

3. I speak Chinese (Mandarin) pretty fluently. I’m currently trying to read a Chinese book with the help of my mom.

4. I shot an AK-47 in Vietnam. A dollar a bullet.

5. I have been to THREE Final Fours (Indianapolis, Atlanta, and San Antonio) and UCLA choked at all three of them.

6. I still listen to records, the vinyl kind. I need to make an official list of what I own soon.

7. I ate a fried spider in Cambodia. No, it’s not a tourist trap. The locals eat it too.

 

And there you have it! Check out those awesome bloggers and thanks to I Shall Lose!

If you’ve got questions for me, especially about my travels, feel free to ask and email me.

Now back to the usual business. I’m sure after the spiders, you want to see what I ate today. Don’t worry. No bugs or creepy crawly things were on the menu.

 

The Jess BLT – Brunch: turkey, turkey bacon, grilled red bell peppers, grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, lettuce, cheddar cheese, cream cheese, but no tomatoes! I forgot.

Omelet McMuffin – Afternoon “Snack”: egg beaters, red bell peppers, spinach, onions, green onions, mushrooms, cheddar cheese all on an English muffin.

Spinach Dip – Dinner Appetizer: spinach, cream cheese, mozzarella cheese, onions, garlic, and milk served with pita bread.

Chicken with Leek and Mushrooms – Dinner Main: leek, chicken breast, mushrooms with soy sauce and rice wine.

 

Consumption: 1858 calories, 10.3g of fat. Total steps: 21,434

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Workout: Treadmill. Triceps.

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Today was rest day for the plank challenge.

I worked my triceps out to the point where I couldn’t feel them any more. Yay for jello arms!

Took it easy on the running today. I still have to run an 8:30 mile sometime this week.

Related posts:

1. Day 103: Stats
2. Day 55: A Halo Saturday
3. Day 97: To My Mother